


Clint's weird habit

by hopelessly_me



Category: Marvel
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Bucky is tired, Clint is a jerk, Cuddling, Deaf Clint Barton, Face Licking, Gen, Licking, M/M, New Friendship, New Relationship, Tired clint, Whipped Cream, asked out, bow licking, clint has zero shame, early morning missions, food thief, ice cream thief, pre-dating, shield thief, steve is mad, vest licking, worried Bucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:41:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21636055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopelessly_me/pseuds/hopelessly_me
Summary: Bucky noticed a weird habit Clint has- the man licks things to claim them as his own. And that's justweird, right?The two times Clint licked something and the one time Bucky did.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton
Comments: 33
Kudos: 192
Collections: Mandatory Fun Day





	1. Chapter 1

“You cannot just go around licking things and claiming them as your own.”

Bucky looked up from his bowl of cereal as Clint and Steve walked in, assessing the situation. Steve looked tired- exhausted and exasperated by whatever antics the archer was up to now. Clint looked to be in good spirits, not at all bothered by Steve’s agitation. He waved his hand in the air dismissively as he headed to the kitchen.

Clint had this… habit. A weird habit, if you asked Bucky. He would walk into a room and if someone had food and he wanted it, he would walk over, lick it, and claim it as his. Pizza, burgers, pop tarts- anything he saw that he wanted he would just lick it and proclaim it as his and no one even argued it. In the two months Bucky had been living in the Tower, he was still the most uneasy with the tall blond because, well, he was _weird_.

“I dunno Steve, I really think I can,” Clint said. “Awww, milk, no.”

Bucky’s eyes looked down and he had a sick feeling in his stomach. He pulled his bowl a little closer to his chest and his eyes darted over to Steve. _Oh for the love of God, please no._ The only person Clint never seemed to steal food from was himself and Bucky- Bucky wasn’t sure he could handle Clint that close.

“Someone drank all the milk,” Clint whined, walking out. “Hey Bucky,” he added in greeting. “... you finished the milk, didn’t you?”

“I can- I think there is some-” Bucky began to say as Clint sauntered closer.

“Clint,” Steve warned.

“What? I’m just coming to talk to Barnes, it’s been awhile,” Clint said as innocently as he could. Bucky felt butterflies in his stomach every time Clint tried to pull off the innocent act because no man of that age should be allowed to pull it off as well as Clint did.

“Back off, Barton,” Bucky said, pulling the bowl ever closer to his being.

Clint leaned into the table, got in Bucky’s space. Bucky tried not to back down, tried to stare at him dead in the eyes, show some dominance. But then he noticed the different flecks of blue in his eyes, the light freckling on the bridge of his nose, tiny speckles on his cheeks. He felt a warm hand snake to his arm so gently, so slowly, then leave to touch the rim of the bowl. A smile spread across his lips and Bucky opened his mouth to protest but it was too late. Clint nearly smacked his head into the bowl, stopping just shy, and stuck his tongue into the bowl of cereal.

“I’ve been _eating_ from it,” Bucky half whined, half said in pure disgust.

“Well guess you got a choice to make then, Buckarooni,” Clint said, a dazzling smile on his face as their eyes locked. “Being a super soldier means you don’t get sick. You can… risk my germs or you can give up the cereal.”

“Are you insane?” Bucky asked.

“Mhh- probably depends on who you ask,” Clint answered. “What do you say? Help an archer out? You already got big, strong super soldier bones. I got tiny breakable human bones that need milk.” The pout that followed was absolutely sinful in Bucky’s mind and he needed space. Clint backed off quickly and raised his hands.

“... I hate you,” Bucky sighed, sliding over the bowl.

“Mhhh, I could kiss you,” Clint said, dropping himself down into a chair and eating Bucky’s leftovers. If that pout wasn’t sinful enough, the moan that followed his first bite was. “Oooh, you added sugar.”

Bucky looked over at Steve in disbelief. _Can you believe this guy?_ he wanted to ask, wanted to wave his hands at. Steve looked like he was about to go off on a speech to Clint.

“Clint, I think we need to have a discussion on-”

There was one tiny thunk that caught Bucky’s attention and he looked over. A single hearing aid landed on the table and the grin on Clint’s face was just _daring_ Steve to continue. Bucky held his breath and glanced at Steve, who was looking more pissed by the second.

“You are so-”

 _Thunk_. Bucky knew at that moment Steve wanted to scream. His hands flew into the air dramatically and he marched out. Bucky dared to look at Clint, hovering over the bowl of cereal and shoveling in another mouthful as Steve left the floor. Slowly Clint reached out, collecting his hearing aids and put them back into place.

“You are a little shit,” Bucky sighed.

“A little shit who saved himself from hearing a tirade,” Clint winked. He twirled the spoon between his fingers. “You know… I think this is the first time we’ve been alone ever. Normally Steve is hovering over you like a hawk when I enter the room.”

“Probably because you do things like that,” Bucky suggested. “Not sure I will ever be ready for you to do that again.”

Clint shrugged his shoulders casually and finished the bowl before tipping it and his head back to polish off the milk. “You want to know the worst part of it all?” Clint asked, licking his lips, a small milkstache still visible for a moment before he licked that away as well. Bucky did his best not to stare.

“If you say you have milk on your floor I might have to punch you,” Bucky said.

“No no,” Clint said, pulling his phone out and showing Bucky a picture. Bucky’s eyes widened as he went from looking at the picture to Clint. Clint was holding the shield, Steve in the background in his uniform, talking to Natasha, and Clint- he had his tongue on the shield, dead center. “When I finally show Steve this, the Tower is going to collapse he is going to lose his mind.”

“That’s disgusting,” Bucky commented before he started laughing.

“I had little alcohol wipes on me, I _did_ wipe it down first,” Clint defended.

“ _Where the hell did you hide my shield, asshole?_ ” Steve asked over the AI system.

“Language, Cap,” Clint sang before he hit a few buttons on his phone. “You know what they say Cap-” 

Bucky knew in that moment what Clint was doing and finally Bucky understood Clint. He was just that guy- someone that dealt with a lot of high stress situations and to cope he pulled pranks, had fun, was normal. A little eccentric at times, a little more dramatic than what Bucky was used to but compared to everyone in the Tower that seemed to be tiptoeing around Bucky, Clint was unapologetically himself. The realization comforted Bucky, made him realize what a breath of fresh air Clint could be, even if he was a food thief.

“ _You licked my shield!_ ” Steve shouted angrily. Bucky doubled over in his seat and started laughing, straight from the belly. He couldn’t remember the last time he laughed like that.

“I licked it so it’s mine now.”


	2. Chapter 2

The day had started off perfectly normal. Steve and Sam had gone for their early morning run around the city, coming back and making breakfast for the team per usual. Tony and Bruce joined in, entering the commonspace while talking about some new energy system that could power all of Manhattan, as well as some graviton-something-or-another. Natasha had slipped in silently, which was a little unnerving to Bucky but he was slowly getting used to it.

“Barton back yet?” Steve asked.

“Just got in about two hours ago and is currently sleeping,” Natasha answered.

Clint had been out on a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission for the last four days and it had drove Bucky nuts. Clint wasn’t allowed to tell anyone where he was going, how long he was going to be gone for, or what the mission objective was. Normally, Clint was a bundle of excited energy when he went on solo missions because he didn’t have anyone bossing him around; this time Clint was quite pensive about it, a distant look in his eyes as he stared at nothing in particular.

Over the course of seven months, Bucky grew close to Clint. When neither of them were out on missions or Avenger events, they tended to stick close, whether it be shooting at the range, sparring, or watching absolutely terrible movies on Clint’s couch. Each time they talked, Bucky found himself falling just a little more in love with the guy and that was terrifying because Clint was oblivious to it all. It was a cruel, slow kind of torture because Bucky had no idea how to even approach the topic. Steve even picked up on it and was _encouraging_ Bucky to talk to Clint about his feelings, and if Steve was encouraging it, then it really couldn’t be that well hidden.

Bucky jumped when the alarms sounded. The room was in motion, all piling into the elevator. Tony and Bruce were assessing the incoming data as everyone got to the equipment room to grab their gear. Bruce waved them off- lately he had been taking control of the situation from afar, not wanting to let his friend out to have fun and ruin the city; it helped he could actually understand the incoming data to rely it to Tony, who could pass it on.

After two hours it turned out to be a false alarm- Thor and some of his Asgardian friends had broken into “Midgard” and apologized profusely for setting off the alarm. The team decided to go grab ice cream before making their way back to the Tower. They left their equipment in the commonspace just in case another alert went off, in case there was more to the first alert that they missed because of Thor’s arrival, and they all settled in to eat their non-traditional breakfast.

Clint shuffled his way into the room, his eyes still hazy from sleepiness. He was in sweatpants a size too large it appeared, bits of flesh peeking out between the pants and tank top that clearly had to be one of Natasha’s because it was several sizes too small. His arm was in a purple sling and his arm was wrapped up in either bandages or kinesio tape, but otherwise he looked physically healthy.

When he lifted his eyes and saw Steve holding an ice cream sundae his eyes lit up, full of hope. Bucky felt bad instantly, knowing full well that no one got anything for Clint because they all assumed he would be dead to the world for another few hours.

Steve gave Clint a sympathetic smile. “Sorry Hawkeye, we all thought you’d be asleep still.”

“Aww, ice cream, no,” Clint whined pathetically through a yawn. He stretched and winced before his face scrunched up. His eyes scanned the room and they landed on Bucky soon after Bucky leaned down to take a bite out of the top of his sundae.

“Barton, no,” Bucky said as Clint ambled his way over. Bucky took a step back and held his cup back and away. “Clint, come on, it has _pineapple_. You don’t even like-”

And what started out as a normal day turned very not normal. Clint leaned in but swayed at the last moment. It felt like it happened in slow motion. Clint was sticking his tongue out to catch a bit of ice cream before the swaying of his feet. Bucky stood firmly in place, his eyes widening in horror as Clint turned, grabbing onto Bucky to steady himself as his tongue planted against Bucky’s cheek and slid across. Clint’s eyes locked onto Bucky’s before he blinked several times, surprising himself, his tongue pulling back slowly.

“Holy-” Steve said as Tony and Natasha broke down laughing.

“... did you… did you just…” Bucky tried to form the words, spit them out, but he was in shock.

“JARVIS, I am going to need a few freeze frames of that for the photo album,” Tony declared when he could finally breathe again.

Clint kept his hold on Bucky before he sighed. He licked the tip of Bucky’s nose then winked. “You missed some whipped cream there, Sergeant Barnes,” he said, his voice still rough from sleeping. Bucky’s jaw dropped and Clint reached a hand back, taking the cup of ice cream from him before he licked the whole way around it slowly, tauntingly, and _holy fuck_. “You know what they say, Buck-”

“If… you lick it now it’s yours?” Bucky asked, his chest giving a little squeeze.

“Mhhh.” Clint agreed, licking his lips.

“Wait- wait wait wait-” Tony said, doubled over, one hand held out. Clint glanced over at Tony without moving an inch, his eyes almost narrowing. “You _licked_ Barnes. Does that mean he is yours now?”

Clint tilted his head and looked at Bucky. “I dunno- what do you think Buck?” he asked. 

Bucky wasn’t sure what to say. He was already feeling overloaded by Natasha and Tony having a laugh at his expense, he wasn’t sure if he was prepared for Clint to turn this into a giant joke. His eyes darted to Steve and back, too scared to say something cocky in case he messed it up and let out how he felt in that moment. He didn’t trust himself not to get emotional if Clint shot him down in front of everyone that Bucky knew. This was his worst nightmare.

“Maybe we should all-” Bucky could faintly hear Steve say to the team but his attention was focused solely on the archer.

Clint took a step forward, his body nearly pressed against Bucky’s. He held the ice cream up and out of Bucky’s reach as he leaned in, his lips close to Bucky’s neck. “I _did_ lick you… will you be maybe go out on a date with me?” he asked. He pulled back and Bucky searched his eyes, trying to figure out what had just happened. Clint looked so nervous, vulnerable while trying to cling to whatever self-confidence he had left in him.

“I have the rest of the day off if you do,” Bucky answered slowly.

Clint looked down between them and back up. “I can shower and be ready in, like, twenty?”

“Are you serious right now?” Bucky asked.

Clint looked thoughtful for a moment. “I mean, that’s true. Might be closer to an hour. Peeling off Natasha’s shirt is going to be a fun challenge. Hey- wanna help me with that?”

“Wait, what?” Steve asked and the team turned to look at the pair. _Damn Steve and his enhanced hearing_ Bucky thought.

Clint looked at Bucky before he smirked and turned, grabbing onto Bucky with his free hand. “I licked him so he’s mine now. Bye guys!” The room was in a bit of stunned silence as they two crossed the room, Clint pulling them straight into the elevator.

“... I hate you,” Bucky sighed, relaxing once the elevator doors closed. “You can’t just go around licking things and claiming them as yours.”

Clint lolled his head to the side as if he were bored and batted his lashes; his face was impossibly bright, his features lit up despite running on four hours of sleep. Bucky had always been a sucker for a blond who never knew what was good for him, and somehow he just hit the mother load. He knew in that moment he was going to have to do everything possible to keep Clint by his side, no matter how much dumb shit he got himself into; somehow he knew all the trouble would be completely worth it if he got to wake up to _that_ face every morning.

“I dunno, Buck. I kinda just did.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Verdantmoth asked if Clint would ever lick Bucky and yes, absolutely. So this one is for you! I'm sure there is more licking in their future but... y'know... this works.


	3. Chapter 3

Bucky watched Clint as he slept, not sprawled all over Bucky for a change, although he did have Bucky pinned to the far edge because he had taken up the entire length of the bed instead. He was running hotter than normal, opting for a sheet instead of his normal two blankets and Bucky was prepared for him to wake up sick. He considered grabbing a blanket and forcing it over him anyway because Bucky had a sneaky suspicion that if he fell asleep he would wake up to a clingy, blanket stealing thief of a boyfriend.

No matter how many times Clint spent the night on his floor, or vice versa, Bucky was never prepared for how easily Clint could fall asleep. They had been together for three months and the guy would just waltz into Bucky’s room unannounced, get comfortable like it was his own goddamn bed, and sleep. It unnerved Bucky. Sleep together was an intimate thing, something that took a lot of trust to be so exposed and vulnerable. Add the hearing loss on top of everything and Bucky had no idea how in the hell he earned this level of trust in a year.

Bucky’s fingers traced the scars on Clint’s back and shoulder, too awake to fall asleep now. He was mesmerized by how young Clint could look one minute before his face would alter with his dream and he’d look a good ten years older. But all the same, Clint would turn his head into Bucky more and make soft, muffled noises like he _could_ wake up though he wouldn’t.

When the Avengers alert went off Bucky wanted to swear and prayed Clint didn’t feel the jolt that ran through Bucky’s body; he wasn’t prepared for the sudden shift in alertness. Clint had two back-to-back missions without Natasha, which meant be had barely slept. They weren’t hard missions, according to Clint they were absolute fluff that someone ranked much lower could have dealt with, but after his “stunt” in New Guinea Clint figured this was Fury’s best form of payback; Clint never did say what stunt was, which made Bucky a little wary.

To his absolute dismay, Clint groaned and flopped off of Bucky’s lap, his hands pressed firmly over his eyes. Bucky was on his feet as Clint slowly pulled his body up from the mattress and his hand began banging around for his hearing aids. Before Clint could fully register anything, Bucky sent a message to the team informing them that the pair were not going to show up. Steve and Natasha would understand- Clint needed sleep and if someone wasn’t there to force it on him, Clint would sneak out. 

“Stay- we don’t need you on every alert,” Bucky said softly when Clint seemed awake enough to get his aids in.

“You implyin’ I can't do my job?” Clint mumbled.

“I’m saying you got two hours of sleep, plus the limited sleep you’ve had over the last four days is not enough for you to be sharp on an Avengers call,” Bucky explained.

“ ‘m fine,” Clint lied through a yawn, reaching into a drawer and grabbing a shirt before he shuffled his way out of the bedroom.

Bucky’s mind was scrambling. With that hazy, sleepy look in Clint’s eyes there was no way Bucky felt comfortable letting him out to play in the major leagues. But Clint was a stubborn asshole who was surprisingly agile and could escape grasps with a bit of ease. But with every step Clint took he was becoming more awake, not alert, and would be planning his own plan of attack.

“Come on, you don’t look too good,” Bucky said because Clint honestly didn’t. “Let’s just stay here, cuddled up on the couch and watch TV. If they need us, they can call and I’ll respond.” Bucky moved in front of Clint and put his hands on the man’s chest. “I can make pizza.”

“It’s… it’s…” Clint said before he looked past Bucky to find a clock, “four in the morning, Barnes. If I’m not shooting things, I want to sleep.” He bent down and picked up his bow and quiver. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

Bucky bit his lip. This plan was not working fast enough and Clint was already grabbing his things. A sick feeling settled in his stomach and, well, it was worth a shot, right? Clint had the quiver slung to his side, and had his tactical vest in one hand, just about to put it on. Bucky stepped up, put his hands on Clint’s bow and leaned in, planting his tongue on it. Clint stared at him in confusion and then absolute awe as Bucky pulled his tongue back.

“What in the _fuck_?” Clint asked, stunned.

“You know what the say, Barton?” Bucky asked.

“No. You don’t get to-”

It was against Bucky’s better judgement, every part of his being was _not_ going to enjoy this. But hell- he did it anyway. He grabbed the end of the vest and pulled it closer before he licked that as well. Clint made a squeak of a noise, his eyes widening.

“.... okay, that’s… it’s just… ew,” Clint said. “I haven’t even gotten to cleaning this yet after my missions and you just-”

_That was information I didn’t actually need vocalized_ Bucky thought. Clint’s grasp on his gear was a little loose and Bucky pulled it away. Clint was frozen in his spot and Bucky couldn’t tell if he actually looked mad at the whole thing.

“Anything else you wanna lick while you are at it?” Clint asked, a slow, lazy smile settling in. “I mean, I’ve got guns, knives, boots-”

“I need about a year's supply of mouthwash right now,” Bucky replied dryly.

“Mhhh- I don’t have that much in my bathroom but hoarder Steve might,” Clint acknowledged.

Bucky dropped the vest behind him before he stepped up, grabbing Clint’s bow. Clint looked down and very reluctantly allowed Bucky to pull it away; Bucky could understand that, no one with as much training of either of them really enjoyed their weapons being taken away from their being. Clint watched Bucky as he reached down and fumbled with the quiver because _holy in the hell does he do this every freaking day?_ Clint chuckled and met his hands, the baggage becoming detached within five seconds. He held it out for Bucky who accepted it graciously and gently put it on the ground because who knows what arrowheads Clint was packing.

“Stay with me tonight, here,” Bucky requested. “No missions, no calls. You are tired, tired means mistakes. Let’s stay healthy for a change. Make it a record?”

Clint huffed out a dramatic sigh before he kissed Bucky’s forehead, his arms wrapping around him loosely. “You’re lucky you are cute.” Bucky could feel him sinking back into him, into sleepiness. “Bed.”

“Bed,” Bucky agreed. “I’ll be there in a minute. I need to-”

“Yeah yeah, go, vest licker,” Clint said, waving him off dismissively.

Bucky probably took an insulting amount of time in the bathroom but licking objects wasn’t really his thing. At least Clint typically only licked food, and now people; Bucky however had to use whatever means necessary to keep Clint in. He was still surprised it worked. He washed his face before he went back into the bedroom.

Clint had turned the television on, closed captions running. Bucky spotted his hearing aids on the end table and assumed he was safe not to talk. Clint’s eyes flickered his way and he pulled up the blankets so Bucky could easily slip in. As soon as Bucky got comfortable Clint was on him, sprawling a bit as his arm came across Bucky’s stomach and a leg looped it’s way over to one of Bucky’s. Clint planted a kiss on Bucky’s chest before his eyes went back to the television. It was only a few minutes before he was back to sleep.

If being completely grossed out by licking his gear meant Bucky could earn the guy a few more hours of sleep, Bucky was willing to do it time and time again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured... why not? Bucky should have to lick something since Clint is doing all the licking around here.


End file.
